Late Nights with Tony Stark
by King Pepperony
Summary: Pepper Potts keeps finding herself in crazy situations thanks to her boss, Tony Stark. This takes place before the first Iron Man movie. All of the chapters will be independent of each other.
1. The Club

The Club

Virginia "Pepper" Potts was about to lose what little sanity she had left which, at midnight on a weekday when she had to be up in a few hours to be back at work, was slim to none. An audible sigh left her lips but it didn't matter. Her surroundings were far too loud for anyone to hear her obvious distress to what she was being subjected to. Why in the hell was she here again? Oh yeah. Her extremely frustrating boss had decided to take a little detour after one of their meetings. This little detour of his included stopping at a strip club. Now, while Pepper was not a prude by any means, hell she did use to model herself, she really did not feel like spending her free time at a strip club. Especially not at midnight. Especially not with her genius, playboy, billionaire boss Tony Stark.

Tony was currently receiving a very erotic lap dance from a very enthusiastic busty brunette and Pepper was beginning to question her life choices. Had she known things like this would be in the job description of being Tony Stark's personal assistant, she would have ran for the hills screaming instead of happily accepting his offer.

Then why the hell did she stay? This was not her first Tony rodeo by any means. She had worked for him and put up with his shit for years. Pepper massaged her temples, trying to ward off her quickly developing migraine. It was far too late to even ponder a question like that. At this point, her overworked brain was barely functioning. That's what happened when she was forced to endure a four hour meeting with a room full of engineers. All she wanted to do right now was go home to her apartment, her comfy pjs and her warm and welcoming bed. But no. No. She was stuck here in a place that smelled like cigarettes, booze and cheap perfume watching her boss ogle a bunch of women's tits. Joy.

Tony was clearly enjoying himself, maybe a bit too much because no one was suppose to touch the girls but he was and the dancer wasn't trying to stop him, which wasn't all that surprising. He was Tony fucking Stark. Everyone knew who he was. He was one of the world's most eligible bachelors. One of the richest men on the planet. It wasn't a shock to her that women threw themselves at him. With his fit body, coiffed dark hair and killer smile, he was extremely attractive _._

When Tony was working hard in his shop, his tight fitting shirt clinging to his sweaty body in all the right places, displaying the rippling muscles in his shoulders, it was a site to behold indeed... Pepper was shocked at herself, blinking rapidly trying to get the image of her boss' body out of her mind but it seemed to be burned into her retinas. Had she honestly just had a fantasy about Tony? Nope. That was impossible. She definitely was not at all attracted to him at all. Not in the slightest. She chalked her crazy thoughts up to the fact she was tired and not thinking properly. He was her boss. Her friend. Her colleague. That was it.

Pepper watched closely as the dancer wrapped Tony's red tie around her hand and pulled him closer to her as he laughed, his bright smile lighting up his entire face. When the woman reached out to touch his face, tracing her long manicured nails down the column of his throat, Pepper allowed her head to fall forward onto the table and it wasn't because she couldn't stand to look at Tony and the woman anymore. Oh no. It was simply because she was tired. Yes. That was it. She was tired. It had nothing to do with Tony and the way his eyes hungrily raked over the dancer's body admiring her every curve or the way his large hands gripped her slender hips.

"Hey, hey, Pep."

Speaking of the devil. Here he was now in the flesh. Pepper sighed as loudly as humanly possibly into the table, sucking in a deep breath to compose herself before she finally lifted her head to meet Tony's eyes. Tony's glazed over but still beautiful brown eyes. Oh God. Did she honestly just call his eyes beautiful? Okay, so maybe they were beautiful. Those giant coffee colored orbs framed by the thickest lashes she had ever seen on a guy. Maybe HE was beautiful but it didn't matter. He was off limits. And honestly, she knew the type of girls he was into and she herself wasn't anything special. _What the hell, Virginia? What was with the added commentary? Sleep! You need sleep!_

Tony had plopped himself down in Happy's vacant seat. Happy Hogan, Tony's body guard, had eaten some of the "all-of-you-can-eat" wings earlier and had quickly excused himself to the bathroom after apologizing profusely. He had been gone now for quite some time now. Pepper was glad she had chosen to eat her salad before coming because spending the night on her knees barfing her brains out in a strip club bathroom would definitely be worse than her current situation.

"Just so you know, I'm going to the back for a personal lap dance in a more secluded area so...if you could let Happy know, I would appreciate it." It was then he reached out to slide a hand up her exposed arm.

The first thing that popped into Pepper's head was the fact that he was warm. His hands were large and calloused and everywhere he touched her made goosebumps form on her skin. For a split second, she wondered what those skilled hands would feel like on more intimate areas of her body and then she mentally slapped herself again. The way he was making her feel things she didn't want to be feeling for him only made her more pissed off about everything. "Knock yourself out," Pepper snapped pulling her arm out of his grasp with a bit more force than she had intended. Her words were far too angry for her own liking but she found she was unable to control herself. God was this man absolutely impossible. She used her other hand to rub the goose pimples from her flesh, trying to erase the way Tony's touch had made her feel all the while knowing it was forever etched into her mind.

Tony raised his brows and cocked his head to the side like a questioning puppy as he studied her reaction obviously trying to read her. It was not cute. It was so not cute. "You mad at me, Pep?"

Pepper averted her eyes and refused to establish eye contact. She did not want to get lost in those giant puppy dog eyes of his. "Mad? Why would I be mad, Tony?" She was laying the sarcasm on thick tonight but to be fair, he deserved it. It was his fault she was here in the first place. All she wanted to do after that long ass meeting was go back to her own place, pour herself a nice big glass of wine and read her book in a bathtub full of bubbles but no. Here she was instead, having improper thoughts about her boss that she could never have. Everything about what was going on was pissing her off.

"So, you're not mad?"

Pepper sighed loudly, rolling her eyes and finally allowing her gaze to fall back onto his face. "It's past midnight, and I'm here while you are getting a lap dance. What do you think?"

Tony gave her a lopsided grin that made her stomach do a flip."Do you wish you were that stripper, Pepper?"

His words were like a slap to her face. Pepper's mouth dropped open. How dare he something like that to her? That was the final straw. She would walk home if she had to but there was no way in hell hat she was staying. She had enough of Tony Stark for one night. Even though she wanted to yell at him for being an ass, she forced everything she wanted to do and simply said, "Goodnight, Mr. Stark." She pushed back from the table and started to rise when Tony's hand shot out to grab one of her wrists, drawing her attention back to him.

His eyes were as wide as she could remember ever seeing them. "Please, wait. Don't go. I'm sorry. That was wrong of me. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Forgive me?"

Props to Tony. He did immediately realize he had overstepped. It took a lot for him to apologize and to his credit, he did look sorry. Pepper felt her anger toward his immature behavior immediately dissolve. To be honest, it was hard to stay mad at him. "You sure you are a genius? You are such an idiot sometimes."

He gave her wrist a gentle squeeze before releasing her, turning back into typical Tony when he wagged his brows at her. "Feisty, Potts. I'll have you home soon. I promise. Just give me ten more minutes."

Pepper only barely resisted making an inappropriate comment about knowing first hand that he only needed about five minutes to get the job done after being accidentally shut in his room during one of his debaucheries...not that she wanted to think about that right now. Instead she showed him a smile full of far too much teeth and nodded. If she stayed silent, she wouldn't say anything she would regret.

"Thanks, Pep. You are the best." From the expression on his face, Pepper was sure he was on the verge of saying something else, something far too intimate for the time and place but then the dancer was behind him, touching him on the shoulder and drawing his attention away from her. The scanty clad woman leaned down over him, whispering something in his ear. Pepper watched Tony's eyes grow wide, the corners of his mouth curving up into a naughty smirk. Whatever the woman had said, Tony clearly liked it, and Pepper didn't want to know what she said. Luckily for her, Tony kept the information to himself and allowed the woman to led him away by his tie, trailing behind like a well-trained dog.

As soon as he disappeared into the back room behind the beaded curtains, Pepper grabbed her PDA out of her purse, trying to distract herself from the fact Tony was about to receive a personal lap dance and quite possibly a happy ending as well. Replying to work emails should have been easy enough for her to do because there was always plenty in her inbox but for some reason, tonight she just couldn't focus and she couldn't figure out why. After all, this wasn't the first woman Tony was with and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Then why was she feeling so uncomfortable about the entire situation? She just couldn't figure it out. Leaving the emails unanswered, Pepper rose from her seat and decided to check on Happy. At least it would take her mind off of things.

The strip club was busy but at least it wasn't uncomfortably crowded. She shrugged her way through a crowd of young men, only barely resisting the urge to tell one of them off when they commented on her "smoking hot" figure. She was definitely not in the mood to be ogled by a bunch of college age boys. She was happy when she finally reached the door to the men's room. Luckily for her, the urinals were empty because she really did not want to see anything more than she already had that evening. "Happy, you in here?" Pepper slowly approached the stalls and her ears were immediately assaulted by the sounds of violent vomiting. Oh yeah. He most definitely was in there.

"Yeah. It's me. Unfortunately, it looks like I will be in here for awhile. Can you keep your eye on Tony for me?"

Pepper scrunched up her face in confusion. Did he honestly just ask her what she thought he did? And even though he couldn't see her, she couldn't help but point to herself to drive home her point. "Me? You want me to watch Tony?"

"Yes. That would be great. I have my phone on me. Just text if you need me."

Pepper was sure her heart was about to burst out of her chest. Was this actually happening right now? Happy was asking her to be Tony's body guard? I mean, she could stab someone with one of her killer heels but besides that, what would she be good for? "B-but he went in the back for a private dance."

"Then follow him."

Pepper couldn't contain her distress. "Are you serious?!"

"Dead serious."

Suddenly, Pepper thought she was the one who was going to puke. Picturing herself watching whatever was going on with Tony did not sit well with her. She was 100% sure she would not be okay with that for more than one reason. "Oh no. No. No. No. This is not in my job description. None of this is, Happy!" Pepper was beginning to wish she had gone home right after the meeting. This was the worst night of her entire life.

"Please, Pepper? Just keep your eyes on him and make sure nothing happens. It's hard to be a bodyguard when you are puking your guts out."

Happy sounded so sick. There was no way she was going to turn him down when he was suffering. Great. Just when she was sure her night couldn't get any worse. Now she had to go and actually watch Tony and his latest debauchery. "Fine." Her words came out as more of a groan than an actual reply. As her hand went to the bathroom door so she could excuse herself, it opened and she ran directly into the group of guys she had passed on her way in. The man she actually ran into looked her up and down with a knowing smile on his face.

"You get what you came in here for, babe?"

At first, Pepper was confused what he was referring to and then it clicked, and her eyes went wide. Oh my God. He must have thought she came in her to have sex. "I-I didn't...M-my friend is sick and I was just checking on him."

The guy winked. "Sure, honey. I believe you."

Letting out an undignified squeak, Pepper pushed her way past him, trying to ignore the inappropriate comments from the man and his friends about how they were jealous of the guy who had her heels digging into his back. After all, it didn't matter what some random yahoos thought she had been doing. She had to a job to do. She had to find Tony.

Even though she knew exactly where he was, it took her longer than it should have to finally get to the back. She took as many detours as she possibly could to avoid what she was positive she would find behind the curtain. When she realized she was only putting on the inevitable, she pushed the beads back and found herself standing in a large room with several small areas sectioned off by curtains. Tony had to be in one of the smaller rooms. Now to just figure out which one. After apologizing profusely for walking in on several different lap dances that were definitely not Tony Stark, she approached the last room.

"Tony, Happy is still sick so he told me to watch you. Hope that is okay. I'll just stand right out here and wait." There was no reply. "Tony?" she said a little louder. Still nothing. "Tony Stark, can I just get an acknowledgment from you?" Once again, there was no response, and Pepper was starting to grow agitated. He had to be in there. Why was he ignoring her? Was he having that great of a time that he couldn't even take a second to respond? She shouldn't be here. She should be at home. And that's when she exploded. "Anthony Edward Stark, if you don't answer me, I'm coming in and quite honestly I don't care if you are decent or not." If she walked in there and he was naked, she was going to strangle him. Snarl on her lips, she stuck out her chest, pushed open the curtain and walked through. "Tony Stark, if you think for one minute that I'm going to put up with your shit then you've..." her voice trailed off when she noticed the small room was empty.

Pepper scrunched up her nose, her anger replaced by confusion. She had watched the woman lead him into the back. There was nowhere else for him to go. The other rooms were occupied. Had he went somewhere else with the dancer? What if he actually left with her? Red began to seep into her vision. Her hands became tight fists at her side as she pictured Tony and the woman in a hotel room somewhere fucking each other's brains out while he left her here at a strip club worrying about his stupid ass. Yep. That had to have been what had happened. He had somehow slipped away with her while she was checking up on Happy. That man...She was gonna fucking kill him. She was going to hand him her resignation papers tomorrow but right now she was going to text Happy and tell him to get ready to help her bury a body because Tony was a dead man. Pepper was digging through her purse when she heard a heavy door slam followed by male voices.

"So, how much did you get?"

"Couple thou. You would think there would have been more."

Pepper froze, suddenly feeling cold. Something was wrong. Very very wrong. Carefully and quietly, she pulled the curtain back to peer out of her hiding place. There were four men standing close to one another not far from where she was and from the look of it, they had been in a fight. Several of them were bleeding from open wounds on their faces.

"He's not going to carry all his money on him, dumbass. God, you are such a fucking idiot," the largest of the men shoved through the others and disappeared behind the beads, back into the main room.

A lump formed in Pepper's throat. Her stomach twisted at the man's words. _They aren't talking about Tony. Don't worry. They aren't talking about Tony._

"I was shocked the fucker knew how to fight. I think he broke my nose."

"Cry me a fucking river. I'll buy you a drink later. Now let's get out of here."

"What a clueless rich asshole. But that hot redhead with him, now she's a catch."

As she watched the rest of the men disappear into the other room, Pepper's hand went up to cover her mouth, and it was then she realized she was trembling. Oh my God. Oh my fucking God. Tony. They _were_ talking about Tony! But where was he? She had checked all of the rooms. He wasn't back here. Then she remembered that just before the man had entered, she had heard a door slam. That's why she hadn't been able to find him. He was outside. He had to be. She bolted from where she was, charging across the room and throwing herself against the large heavy door, finding herself standing in a dark alleyway.

But where was he? What had they done with him? What had happened to Tony? Fuck going home. Fuck sleeping. Tony. All she needed to know was that Tony was okay. If something happened to him she would never forgive herself. She was suppose to be watching him. And the terrible things she had thought about him earlier...Her eyes began to burn. Pepper screamed his name in fear several times as she ran up and down the alley. He was nowhere to be found. Tears now blurred her vision, making it difficult for her to see much of anything. _Oh God. No. No. Please. No. Please be okay. Where is Tony?_ That's when her eyes fell on the dumpster not far from the door. She gasped loudly. They had to have thrown him in the dumpster.

"Tony!" Pepper shrieked as she used all of her strength to throw open the heavy lids of the giant dumpster. The ripe pungent smell that hit her nostrils made her gag. But she forced down the bile in her throat and stood on her tiptoes, peering down into garbage and there she found not only yesterday's leftovers but the man she was suppose to be watching. Tony Stark.

She was pretty sure the sound that came out of her mouth was unlike any she had ever made before. "Tony!" she was shouting at him over and over, trying to rouse him but he wasn't responding. From where she was standing, she couldn't even tell if he was breathing. _Oh God! Please let him be breathing._ She had to get to him and fast. Luckily for her, there was a stack of boxes next to the dumpster. With a speed she didn't know she was capable of, she kicked her heels off, not caring if she scuffed or completely destroyed her shoes in the process. She honestly couldn't believe she was having that thought at the moment but Tony was more important than even her most favorite pair of heels. They were replaceable. Tony was not.

She hoisted herself up onto the boxes, teetering a bit before diving face-first into the trash, trying her hardest not to fall on top of the man inside. Digging around in the trash, now that was definitely not in her job description. She sifted through the garbage to pull Tony's body halfway into her lap.

"Tony!" She was clutching him now, openly crying into his neck, trying to pull him as close as she possibly could. He almost felt cold. Why the fuck hadn't they just taken the money? Why had they done this to him? "Tony, please be okay. Please!" Pepper begged. He was breathing but was unconscious. His thousand dollar three piece suit was torn and ruined. There was blood streaked across his face marring his good looks and his top lip was split wide open. When his head rolled to the side, that's when she saw the ligature marks on his neck. His tie! They had used his tie to strangle him. A sob escaped her throat as her fingers fluttered over the angry mark on his neck. Oh God. Happy. She needed Happy. She needed Happy now. As she was typing a message into her phone, something squeezed her arm.

"Potts."

Pepper let out a squeak of joy when she heard his voice. "Tony, please be okay. Please be okay." Before she realized what she was doing, she found herself nuzzling her nose into his thick dark hair, seeking out the Tony smell that made her feel safe and secure but it was overpowered by the smell of garbage and blood and cheap perfume. He didn't smell like Tony and he was hurt. He was hurt badly, and the entire time he was getting the shit kicked out of him by four assholes, she was wrongly angry with him thinking he abandoned her to have sex with a random woman. The sobs that racked her body were too big for her petite frame. It felt like she was going to shake apart.

"I'm okay. Please don't cry." Tony's voice sounded all wrong but that wasn't surprising. He had just been strangled. His larynx might have been damaged. Oh God. He could have died tonight. She was now sobbing into his neck, unable to hold her emotions back as she wrapped her arms tightly around his body, pulling his limp form closer to her. Her eyes found his and when she saw he was scared and it broke her heart into a million pieces. "Oh God, Tony. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry. It's my fault. Not yours. Potts, you're perfect. "

The words out of his mouth were like a shock to her system. He thought she was perfect?! That was news to her. She was sure he thought she was a stone cold bitch. Maybe he had gotten one too many shots to his head. Even so within seconds, she had pulled him closer to comfort him, not caring in the slightest that he buried his nose in between her breasts because if she was being completely honest with herself, she enjoyed it too. She kissed his forehead without a second thought, not caring a bit about the sarcastic remarks she would have to hear about it in the morning. _No. No. I'm not perfect. If I was perfect, I would have seen this coming. I would have protected you. I'm your PA. I plan your life. I should have seen this coming. I'm your friend. I should have..._

"You out here, Pepper?! Pepper? Can you hear me?"

Happy's concerned voice echoing through the alley was like music to her ears.

Pepper clutched Tony closer, refusing to let him go and he clung to her just as fiercely. "Yes! Yes! We are here! In the dumpster, Happy!"

"Jesus. What happened? Pepper? Pepper!"

Pepper was so focused on Tony that she didn't realize Happy was next to her until she found herself being pried off of him. Somehow between the two of them, they managed to get Tony out of the dumpster and to the car without much of a hassle. The drive to the hospital took far too long for Pepper's liking. It felt like ten hours instead of ten minutes. Tony lay with his head cradled in her lap as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and Pepper found she didn't care he was bleeding all over her. The outfit was completely trashed anyway. Trashed. She _had_ been in the trash with it on. The trash had trashed her outfit. Pepper only barely suppressed the manic giggle that threatened to burst out of her. Wow. She really did need some sleep but she knew she would not be able to sleep until she knew that Tony was okay. _Tony_.

When she looked down at the man currently occupying her thoughts, her eyes met his and she found she couldn't look away...didn't want to look away and the strange thing about it was it didn't feel weird. Not at all. Pepper felt one of his hands grip hers firmly, his thumb massaging the top of her knuckles, making her shiver but in a good way.

Suddenly, Tony seemed extremely nervous and his nervousness was quickly rubbing off on her. Tony Stark didn't get nervous. _What is happening? Oh God, what is he thinking?_ His dark eyes were deep. Deeper than she can ever remember seeing them and she couldn't read the expression on his face. Not at all and it both frightened and intrigued her. Her stomach flip flopped.

"Pep, I..."

The moment between them was broken when the car stopped and Happy was throwing open the back door, dragging Tony up and out, leaving Pepper wondering what it was that Tony was going to say. Most of her was glad that Happy had interrupted them. Or she would keep telling herself that because it seemed as if Tony was about to say something that would forever change their relationship and quite honestly, she wasn't ready for that. Pepper sucked in a deep breath, trying in haste to smooth out the wrinkles in her destroyed skirt before heading into the hospital.

Tony was admitted to stay overnight for observation. He had a couple of cracked ribs, a concussion, a fractured cheekbone and multiple lacerations to his face. Luckily there had been no permanent damage from him being strangled. It could have been worse. It could have been so much worse. Both Happy and Pepper decided to stay with him because if they left, they were almost positive he would try and check himself out before his observation period was over. Happy had excused himself from the room to get himself a coffee when Tony finally began to stir.

"Hey."

The sound of Tony's scratchy voice drew Pepper's attention up the work emails she had been sifting through. Her boss looked and sounded like hell but he was okay. He was going to be okay. And with that knowledge, Pepper could allow herself to smile. "Hey."

"You workin', Potts? You know, you aren't on the clock right now." Tony ran a hand over his goatee, flinching when he touched his busted lip.

"Well, you know. My boss rides me pretty hard, and sometimes I struggle to keep up."

Tony raised a single brow at her comment, the corners of his mouth quirking up into that signature smart ass smile of his, and Pepper immediately released her mistake, lifting a finger to stop him before he even started. "Don't you dare make an inappropriate comment, Mr. Stark. It's far too late for that. Or too early. I haven't decided yet."

Tony chuckled lightly, running a head through his messy hair. Without the gel keeping it slicked back, his hair was fluffy and Pepper had the fleeting thought of how soft it would feel between her fingers before she shoved the thought out of her head. _Potts, you need sleep. Lots and lots of sleep._

"You know me so well, Pep. You know, I meant what I said earlier. You are perfect."

Pepper raised her eyes to meet his before lowering them back to her PDA as she pretended to be busy once again. "You're pretty perfect too. A perfect pain in my ass. You owe me a new outfit you know."

Tony grinned and even though he was beat to hell, he looked absolutely adorable. "Shoes too?"

Pepper peered at him over the top of her PDA, finding herself grinning from ear to ear. "Shoes too."


	2. The Car

**Sorry this took me awhile to update guys. I did read over it once but I have been drinking a tad so there may be mistakes. If so, I apologize and will correct them later. Thank you all for being awesome. :D**

Chapter Two: The Car

"Hey, Pepper. Do you know how to drive a stick?" Just as Tony suspected, his question pulled Pepper's attention up from her laptop to glance his way. He had sneaked up the stairs from his workshop barefoot without her seeming to notice but since she didn't jump out of her seat like he had hoped at his question, she must have somehow known he was there. Dammit. She was good. Too good.

"You better be talking about a car, Stark."

Tony chuckled as he padded over to the bar, swirling the Scotch in his glass around before downing it and pouring himself another glass. He had been drinking since about noon and it was now close to ten at night. Not that it was unusual for him to drink all day especially around Christmas. This time of year was difficult for him. It didn't matter how many years had passed since his parents' deaths. It still hurt. He never got to say goodbye to his father. He figured it would always hurt and alcohol helped to numb the pain. Although at times it seemed there wasn't enough alcohol in the world to help him get through the holidays. "Such a dirty mind, Potts. Of course I'm talking about cars. What else would I possibly be talking about?"

Pepper raised one elegantly sculpted eyebrow at him. He could hear her drumming her nails against her keyboard. "If you are asking if I know how to drive a stick shift then the answer is yes."

Tony was almost tipsy enough to ask if she wanted to practice driving _his_ stick. _Almost_. To stop the crass words from coming out of his mouth, he took another few swallows of his drink, focusing on the burn in his throat as it made its way down to his empty stomach. He probably should have eaten the lunch that Pepper brought down to the workshop for him hours earlier but he was so focused on his current project that he had forgotten all about it. "Can you do it in those killer heels of yours?"

"Really, Tony? Are we really doing this now?" Pepper frowned.

Even though Tony was pretty damn close to being drunk, he was extremely perceptive. He knew she was getting fed up with him, but even with this being the case, he had to push her a little more. He had to. It was in his nature. "Just curious, Potts. Is it ever too much to handle?"

Pepper let out another exaggerated sigh as she put her laptop in her shoulder bag, obviously done with his crap for the night. "It's late. I'm going home. You better be ready for that meeting tomorrow at eight am sharp. And that means not rolling in at eight. Be there before eight. Ready to go. For once. Please?" She was going to leave. She was going to leave and he was going to be all alone with no one to keep him company.

Of course, he could make Happy take him out to a club so he could grab a drunk girl or two but he really wasn't in the mood for time with strangers. Tonight he didn't want some random girl to fuck. He realized quickly he wanted Pepper's full attention, and he knew just how to get it. "You ever drag race, Pep?" He threw back the rest of his drink and leaned on the counter, gauging her reaction.

Pepper glanced his way, her eyebrows were pulled together in confusion. "What?"

Looked like he had her full attention. At least for the moment. Mission accomplished. He set his glass down on the counter with a clank before rubbing absentmindedly at his goatee. "I'm in the mood for a race. How about you?" His eyes were gleaming as he stared at her mischievously. Oh yeah. This was sure to get a reaction out of that prim and proper PA of his. "Think you can beat me, Miss Potts?"

Pepper rolled her eyes, pushing herself up from the couch. "I'm going home, Tony..."

It didn't seem like she was going to take the bait. She couldn't leave. Not yet. He didn't want to be alone. Then he got an idea that was sure to keep her around. "Well, I'm gonna race with or without you." And before he could think of a reason not to, he was bolting for the stairs.

"Tony!" Pepper yelped. He could hear the clack of her heels racing after him. She took the bait. Yes! But she sounded close. Oh God. He didn't think she could catch him. Not in those giant ass heels but shit...maybe he was wrong! He wouldn't put it past her to tackle him right now although that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. "Tony! Don't you dare get into a vehicle right now! You are drunk! Anthony Edward Stark, I swear to God..."

He hit the bottom of the stairs before her, throwing himself through the door and slamming it shut, locking it in her face. She would have to enter her code. That would give him enough time to get his ass in a car. He locked eyes with her for a moment, giving her one of his infamous Stark smirks. Her cheeks were flushed. She was breathing heavily as she leaned on the glass, trying to catch her breath.

"Tony..."

"Pepper," and then he was off again, throwing himself over the hood of his Audi R8. As soon as he landed on the other side next to the car he chose, he yanked open the door of his Shelby Cobra, slipping inside as Pepper finally accessed his workshop. As the engine roared to life, she scurried over in his direction but in the end she wasn't fast enough because before she could reach him, he was pushing the pedal to the floor and tearing out of the garage.

Once outside, he rolled down the windows, enjoying the cool night air blowing through his hair. He let out the breath he had been holding in. This...this was just what he needed. He rolled his shoulders back and something cracked. He gave a little moan of pleasure as he steered his car out to the open road. He had to get past all of the curves before he could really go full throttle.

It was dark but he knew the headlights directly behind him belonged to the car Pepper was driving. He glanced down at the speedometer, eyebrows going up when he realized in order to keep up with him, she had to be pushing one-hundred. _Naughty girl, Potts._ Knowing Pepper was behind the wheel of one of his muscle cars racing after him was enough to give him a raging hard-on. Maybe he would jerk off right now. That would be a rush. The ringing of his phone piercing the air drew his attention away from the road. It was Pepper. Without a second thought, he took the call. "I'm impressed, Pepper. You are actually keeping up. What car did you end up picking? Are you in the Saleen S7? How does it handle? Are you wearing your heels?"

"Anthony Stark, pull your car over now!"

Boy, oh boy, she was pissed. He couldn't help it. He grinned, glancing in the rear view mirror. "Awww, come on. I haven't even got it up over 120 yet."

"You are going to get yourself arrested or killed and if you get arrested, I am not bailing your ass out of jail. I'll let you sit there and think about what you've done."

Tony had a solution for that. "I'll just call Obie."

"I'll tell Obadiah to let you rot. Maybe a night or two in jail will make you get your head on straight."

Even though Pepper couldn't see him, he still shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing I haven't done before. I got arrested when I was seventeen and spent the night in jail. My dad left me there to teach me a lesson. It was right before he died." His grip on the wheel tightened as he remembered what had happened afterward.

His mother had been the one who picked him up the following day. When he had gotten home, his father had been there. Drunk. Tony squeezed his eyes shut, trying to swallow around the giant lump that had formed in his throat as he remembered what had happened next. He remembered every single little detail from that day. The way his father's eyes flashed with rage. The color of his belt as it lashed against his sensitive skin. His mother's cries as she begged him to stop. _"Please, Howard. Please don't hurt him. PLEASE!"_

"TONY!" Pepper's terrified scream in his ears had his eyes flying open to find he was in the wrong lane, staring down a pair of quickly approaching headlights. His eyes went wide. _Fuck._ Suddenly it was like everything was happening in slow motion. He turned the wheel trying to get back into the other lane but due to the alcohol in his system, he over-corrected. The car went into a spin. The world around him whirled as his vehicle left the road. His knuckles were white as he clutched the steering wheel helplessly. His stomach lurched violently as he tried but failed to see exactly where his car was headed.

So...this was it. This was how the great Tony Stark died. A whimper left his lips as he let his eyes close. How appropriate that it would be a car crash that killed him...just like his parents. He thought his life was supposed to flash before his eyes so he was surprised when he only saw one person. Pepper. He had only wanted her full attention and now...now he was dead. _Oh God, Pepper. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry..._

When he didn't hear the breaking of glass and crunch of metal signaling his doom, he slowly opened his eyes. The car had come to rest next to a very large, very sturdy tree. Holy fuck. That was close. Way too fucking close. If he would have hit the tree, there was no doubt in his mind that he would be a dead man right now. He would be dead and Pepper would have been the one to discover his mangled body. He swallowed thickly at the thought. God. He he just wanted a little bit of attention from her. He didn't want to hurt her, and he knew that finding him like that would have destroyed her. That was when his door was flung open and very pissed off redhead loomed down over him with a fire burning brightly in her eyes. Pepper was out for blood. His blood.

"You asshole!" she shouted at him, making him draw back in fear. Pepper didn't swear. In fact, he honestly couldn't remember the last time he heard an improper word fall from her lips. From the expression on her face, it seemed she didn't know whether to hug or hit him and he was honestly afraid she was going to drag his ass out of the car and beat the ever-living shit out of him. But to be fair, he would have deserved it. "You fucking asshole..." And then she had thrown herself on him, partially hanging out of the car as she cried into his chest, holding onto him as if she was afraid he would slip away. Her small hands were fisted in his shirt, refusing to let him go as she pressed her face into his neck. The feeling of her hot tears on his skin made his stomach twist in shame. "Dammit, Tony! How could you be so stupid?" Her entire body was trembling, and it was all his fault.

He was the biggest fucking asshole on the planet for scaring her like that. Trying to comfort her, he brought his arms up and around her, holding her slender shaking frame close to him. "Pep, it's okay."

He felt her entire body go tense as the word left his lips. Uh oh. That was obvious not the right thing to say. When she pulled back from him, keeping her hands gripping his shirt, her eyes were fierce. She was fucking furious with him. From the look on her face, he honestly couldn't remember a time when he had seen her more mad than she was at this very moment. He knew he had fucked up big time. "No. It's not okay. It's far from being okay. You could have died tonight. You could have killed someone. If you ever do anything this stupid ever again, I am quitting on the spot and nothing you say or do will stop me. I will walk away and you will never hear from me again, Mr. Stark. I will be through with you. Do you hear me?"

His chest grew tight at the thought of her leaving for good. He knew she meant it and the thought of not having Pepper in his life made the words fly out of his mouth before he even thought about what he was saying. "I fucked up. I'm sorry, Pepper." He pulled her tightly against him, needing to feel a connection to another human being. Needing to feel connected to her. "It's all my fault. Just don't leave me. Please, don't leave me. Everyone I care about leaves. Please, Pep. I need you. Don't go. I won't know what to do if you go." Normally, he wasn't one to apologize but Pepper deserved it. She deserved the world. She deserved better than taking care of his reckless ass but he was too selfish of a man to let her go. He would never let her go.

When Tony felt her sigh into his hair, he knew he had been forgiven. "Tony, I know this time of year is hard for you. You can talk to me. You know that, right?"

He did know that. He just didn't like talking about his feelings. He would prefer to just not feel anything at all. "I just..." Fuck. It felt like he couldn't breathe. Why couldn't he breathe? "I'm so lost, Pep. I'm lost." What was he even saying? He wasn't making any sense but even with that being the case, Pepper hugged him, refusing to let him go. It was just what he needed. He hugged her back just as fiercely. They didn't usually hug. Hell, Tony couldn't remember the last time they had shared a hug but this just felt right. It wasn't weird at all.

"I'm here, Tony. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." When Pepper finally pulled away from him, her eyes were red but there was a small smile on her face. "Come on. Get your drunk ass in my car, Stark. I'm taking you home."

And even against his better judgment, Tony found himself blurting out, "Will you stay with me tonight?" He immediately began to back-peddle when Pepper's mouth fell open in shock. Oh God. She thought he was asking her to sleep with him. He had to fix this and now before she bailed for good. "No! No! No! Not like that. I mean, just in the house with me. I didn't mean like staying with me. Just staying with me in the same place, you know? I didn't mean sharing a bed or even the same room...I just meant..."

Pepper put a finger to his lips silencing him. "I know what you meant, Tony. Yes, I'll stay."


	3. The Shower

Chapter Three: The Shower

"I'm gonna kill him. He is a dead man," were the words Pepper kept repeating to herself as she raced down the road at a speed that could easily have gotten her license revoked. At least she shouldn't run into traffic. But then again, it was freakin' eleven thirty at night. Her night had been going pretty great until she received a phone call from Jarvis informing her that Tony required her assistance immediately. She had only just finished her nightly ritual of a warm bubble bath and a half a glass of wine and was lying in bed reading one of those trashy romance novels she secretly loved because hey, if she couldn't have real romance then why not read about it, when she was interrupted. Not by a human being but by her boss' AI. And now here she was, driving back to Tony's for the second time in one day. The roads were clear almost all of the way to his cliff-side mansion. That is until she reached the driveway.

His entire yard was worse than a Wal-mart parking lot. Cars, trucks and motorcycles littered the entire driveway with absolutely no rhyme or reason to where they ended up. There were even vehicles in the actual yard. It had been raining quite a bit the past few days and a few of the trucks had actually spun out in the grass as if they had done donuts for fun, destroying all of the hard work the landscaping crew had just done a few months prior. Guess who was going to have to deal with the aftermath of all of this drunken destruction? Tony's faithful PA. Herself. Pepper freakin' Potts.

She finally found an open spot between a bright red Bugatti and a neon yellow Ferrari and squeezed her car in there figuring their owners wouldn't want their precious babies all dinged up. She gave Happy a phone call asking for backup because she knew for a fact she was going to need his help to clear the place. As soon as she exited her vehicle, she could feel the bass from inside the house underneath her feet as she made her way up to the front door. She took a deep breath, trying to prepare herself for the craziness she knew would be waiting for her. She really did not get paid enough to put up with this shit.

Without warning, the door in front of her flew open, startling her and before she knew what was happening, the man who appeared bent over at the waist and proceeded to vomit violently over her new pair of Jimmy Choos. A squeal of horror escaped her lips as she stared down at the beautiful new shoes that were now completely covered in the contents of a stranger's stomach. The only reason she had worn the stupid shoes in the first place was that she had put them on without thinking on her way out the door or maybe she had put them on hoping to kick Tony in the ass with them. It didn't matter either way, they were now toast.

She was glad she had a iron-clad stomach and could tolerate quite a bit of grossness without getting sick herself. After all, it's not like Tony hadn't puked all over her before. But at least he had the decency to buy her another of whatever it was of hers that he managed to destroy. Pepper heard the man make another gagging sound and this time stepped to the side as he continued to puke onto Tony's doorstep. Pepper grimaced. After having to deal with all of this, she was asking for a raise or maybe a vacation. A very long vacation, a very long way from Malibu and Tony Stark's shenanigans.

Slipping off her destroyed heels and cursing her extremely bad luck, she kicked them to the side of the doorstep before entering the house barefoot. Her eyes widened in shock at the number of people all crammed into one space. Tony had turned his mansion into a dance club complete with strobe lights and a DJ. He even had a few servers going around giving out drinks. Trying her hardest to shove her way through the tight mass of sweaty scantly-clad bodies, she felt something cold and wet spill down the front of her shirt. When she looked down, she saw the red stain rapidly spreading across her white blouse.

"Ooops. Sorry about that, beautiful." The tall skinny man who dumped his drink down her cleavage didn't look all that sorry. In fact, his eyes stayed glued to her chest as he was speaking to her. "Want me to help you with that?" When he reached out with open hands to touch her, she jerked back, disgusted.

"Don't you dare," she snapped at him, taking a step back as she slapped his hands away.

He smirked at her, showing perfectly white teeth as he waggled his brows. "I love redheads. So feisty! Meow!"

Pepper didn't bother dignifying him with a response as she pushed past him on her search for Tony. As she fought her way through the sea of squirming bodies, her eyes went wide as they fell on something that was most definitely out of place. A car. There was a freakin' sports car in the middle of freakin' the living room. Of course there was. And in that black convertible sat a couple who were sloppily making out as if completely oblivious to what was going on around them. The young dark haired woman was on top of her date, straddling his lap and dry humping him as curious onlookers watched the free show.

This was it. This was her life now. Pepper honestly didn't know how much more of this she could take. At times like this, she wondered why she did this to herself. She rubbed her temples trying to fend off the oncoming migraine that was sure to come. She had to find Tony, and she had to find him now. There was no way she was going to be able to locate him in this crowd but she knew who would know where he was.

Pepper picked up her phone and dialed. "Jarvis, where is Tony?" Normally she could have just asked the question out loud and gotten a response swift response but the music was too loud to allow her that luxury.

"Upstairs, Miss Potts," came the AI's voice in her ear.

As she was headed for the stairs, Happy showed up like her knight in shining armor and she had to restrain herself from throwing herself on him. She had been so close to losing it and exploding like a nuclear bomb, evaporating everyone within a few miles radius and quite frankly, that would not have been a bad thing. Now she could pass off the craziness to him and let him deal with it. "Get everyone out. Now. I will deal with Tony." She brushed past him, stomping her way up the staircase.

When she reached Tony's room, the door was closed. She forced herself to knock even though she didn't really know why she bothered. Normal people would only say "come in" if they were actually decent and ready for someone to enter. Not Anthony Edward Stark. No. She learned that the hard way when a few years ago she walked in on Tony and a bed full of swimsuit models, really flexible swimsuit models, doing all kinds of things she was sure only happened in pornos. There had been three or four of them to one of him. Then he actually had the gall to stop what he was doing long enough to smile at her and ask what it was she needed. There had been no response that had been adequate enough for her to express what was on her mind. Her mouth had dropped open in shock, and she found herself incapable of making the appropriate sounds needed for human speech. She was sure her face was the color of her hair as she all but ran from the room. She would die a happy woman if she never had to experience another repeat of that. She really, really, really did not want to go in there now.

There was no response. Maybe his mouth was full and he was unable to speak at the moment. Steeling herself for whatever she may find behind the closed door, she took a deep breath and stepped inside. Luckily for her, her eyes were not immediately assaulted by a hoard of beautiful naked women or Tony's naked ass. The bed was unmade and a mess. But it was empty.

"Pep?"

Pepper sighed when she heard Tony's voice coming from the master bath over the sound of running water. Of course he would be in the shower while his entire house was being trashed. He probably had some girl in there with him right now. Hell, knowing him he probably had at least three or four of them in there. Naked and lathering each other up. The hot steamy water spilling over their bodies, fogging up the frosted glass. Tony standing there all wet, his tight body and delicious ass on display, just waiting for someone to take a bite out of it...Woah! Pepper blinked the forbidden image of her boss away. She really had to stop reading those damn romance novels. They were doing things to her mind. Her and Tony actually hook up? **Pfffft** That would never happen. Never in a million years.

"Pepper, is that you? Can you come in here for a minute?"

Pepper frowned. Was he being serious? He wanted her to willingly walk into a room where she knew for a fact he was naked so he could try and preposition her while touching someone else? Nope. Not gonna happen, even if he did have a nice looking backside. _Stop it, Virginia. Stop it right now._

"Potts, please. I need you."

Pepper found she was unable to stop the laugh of hysteria that bubbled out of her. "You need me to do all of your dirty work because you want to keep your own hands clean. That's all I'm good for, right? Taking out the trash? Why in the hell did Jarvis tell me to come over? You seem to be doing just fine." Pepper usually didn't talk to him in this way but having no sleep along with the destruction of her brand new shoes did her in.

Snarl on her lips, she turned to leave, planning on going back home and taking a vacation day to clear her head to make sure she didn't strangle him when she saw him again. That was her plan until she heard him whimper. The small sound was broken and full of pain, and it made her stop in her tracks. Tony was good at covering up when he was hurt. He once had a couple of broken ribs and she hadn't known until she had accidentally elbowed him in the chest, making him yowl like an injured cat. If he was openly displaying pain then it had to be bad. Without a second thought, she hurried into the adjoined bathroom and gasped at what she saw.

Tony was sprawled out in the bottom of the large shower, completely naked and bleeding profusely. He must have been lying there awhile now because he was shivering. The violent involuntary shakes, rattling his entire body, teeth clicking together. His lips were a light shade of blue. Guilt overwhelmed her as she hurried to help him, all of the hurtful things she had been thinking about him swirling around in the front of her mind.

On her way to shut off the water, she gathered as many towels as she possibly could in her arms. The water was now ice cold and had beating down on Tony's limp body for awhile. No wonder Tony was shaking. Once the shower was off, she knelt down next to him, wrapping him in several fluffy towels as she helped him to his feet and over to the bench to sit down. "What happened?" Her voice was higher than normal but she couldn't help it. Up close and personal, she could see how badly hurt he was. It was obvious his face had been the target of the attack. His forehead was where most of the blood was coming from. Pepper pressed a towel to it and ordered Tony hold it there while she worked on drying him off. His left eye was almost completely swollen shut. Blood dripped from his nose but from what she could tell it didn't seem to be broken. His bottom lip had a slight split in it. When she dabbed at it, he hissed and tried to pull away but she held him still.

"Well, I guess someone's boyfriend didn't like the fact his girl was in the shower with Tony Stark. I didn't see him coming. He came up behind me and slammed my head into the wall. After that I think he punched me in the face."

Pepper's stomach twisted. "I-I should call an ambulance."

"No, just help get me into bed, Potts."

"Tony, I really think you should be seen by someone."

"I'm not going anywhere. No doctor. No hospital. Don't need either."

Pepper huffed in annoyance. She knew how stubborn he was and that it would be next to impossible to convince him to go to get checked out. She just didn't have the energy to argue with him. After all, his wounds didn't seem to be life threatening but she knew how to make sure. "Jarvis, what are the extent of Mr. Stark's injuries?"

"They are all superficial. None of them are life threatening but he does have a mild concussion."

"Thank you, Jarvis. Now don't you move, Tony. I need to bandage you up." She left him to dig for the First Aid kit underneath the sink, when a hulking shadow loomed over her. Her head snapped up, afraid the man who assaulted Tony had come back to finish the job but it was only Tony's bodyguard Happy Hogan.

The large man leaned in, trying to take in Tony's condition from where he was standing in the doorway. Pepper could hear him cursing under his breath. "I can't believe he didn't tell me he was planning this. How in the hell am I supposed to protect him if he doesn't tell me what his plans are? Some bodyguard I am."

"Don't blame yourself. You know how he is. He is all about last minute parties."

Happy grunted an acknowledgment. "Is he okay?"

"He will be. He's a little banged up but I've got him, Happy. I'll take care of him," Pepper promised as she stood up, First Aid kit clutched tightly in her arms.

"You always do, Pepper. But are you sure he doesn't need to go to the hospital because I can drag his ass there, and I would enjoy it thoroughly." He said the words loud enough for Tony to hear, staring at him as if daring him to try and start something.

Pepper smiled warmly at Happy before glancing over at Tony who was pouting like a scolded child. She knew how much he cared for Tony and hated seeing him hurt. "I'm sure. I've got him."

"The house is clear. I will wait until the entire property has been vacated before I go."

"Thank you," Pepper said, touching Happy on the arm. "I really appreciate you coming. Would it be possible for you to grab an ice pack from downstairs for me before you go?"

Happy nodded to her before leaning around her to direct his full attention to Tony. "And _sir_ , you give Pepper any guff, I will come back here and take care of you myself and trust me you won't like it one bit."

Tony scowled, good eye narrowing on the back of his bodyguard as he left the room. "Got it, Hap. Thanks."

Pepper's hand flew to her mouth as she tried to stifle her giggles.

"Something funny, Potts?"

Pepper noticed one side of Tony's mouth quirk up. He was amused. "Well, it's either laugh or cry and personally I would rather laugh," was her reply as she applied a bandage to his forehead. By now his nose had clotted and was no longer bleeding so she took to wiping the blood from his face. Her throat grew involuntarily tighter as she worked to get him back to looking somewhat normal. When she noticed the crusted blood in his goatee, the tears threatened to surface and she blinked hard, trying to keep them at bay. _Don't cry. Don't cry._ Eyes full of unshed tears, she kept her gaze low, refusing to met Tony's eyes as she cleaned him. She didn't want him to see her like this. Didn't want him to see her fall apart like this but he noticed like he always did because that man had always been damn perspective when she didn't want him to be. Cold thumbs gently skimmed beneath her eyes, wiping away the few tears that had managed to escape.

"Don't cry, Pep. Please don't cry."

Pepper swallowed a sob as she finally met Tony's eyes. Well, technically eye because one was quickly becoming a nasty shiner. In that one beautiful brown eye, she saw his unsaid apology and her heart broke. While most of her wanted to stay mad at him for putting himself in situations like this time and time again, she couldn't help but forgive him. She shook her head. "You are such a jerk, Tony. You know that right?"

That earned her a 100-watt Stark smile that made her stomach flip-flop. "Tell me something I don't know."

Pepper sighed as she toweled dried his hair. "That regardless of how stupid you act, I still care about you."

"Knew that already." Tony grinned. "I know you love me, Potts."

Letting out an indignant squeak, she stopped drying his hair and took a faltering step backward, the next words coming out of her mouth faster than she would have liked. "I-I do not love you."

Her words only made his smile deepen, nose crinkling in the cute way it does when he is genuinely happy. "Keep telling yourself that. Maybe someday I will actually believe it."

 _That man!_ Pepper wanted to pummel him for being such a cocky bastard. But was he wrong though? Part of her brain wondered. The other more logical part of her brain that she almost always listened to snarled at the question and told the other part to shut up.

"How did you know I needed help?"

Pepper was more than happy for the subject change. "Jarvis called me. Now let's get you dressed and into bed." Before Tony could protest, she made her way into his walk-in closet and pulled out an old MIT sweatshirt, some silk boxer shorts and a pair of black pajama pants, tossing them at him as she moved through the bathroom. "Get dressed, Stark. I will be out here."

"But maybe I need help. I think I've forgotten how this works. Does this look right to you?"

When she glanced back at Tony to shoot off a snide remark, he had the boxers on the top of his head and the sight was so ridiculous a authentic laugh slipped out before she could stop herself. "You are such a dork."

After Tony was fully dressed, he joined her in the bedroom. He bundled himself up in his cheetah print comforter while she stripped his bed. She hated to admit it, but wrapped up like a giant "Tony burrito" with only his head sticking out, thick dark hair all ruffled from her towel drying, he looked absolutely adorable. Delectable even. But she so wasn't going to go there. She wasn't going to allow herself to. His one good eye was fixed on her, watching her every move. "You know, you really don't have to change the bedding."

Pepper stopped to shoot him a "you have got to be kidding me" look as she stretched a new fitted sheet across the expanse of the massive bed. When she started working for him, she didn't understand why he would have a bed this size. After having worked for him for quite some time now, she got it and really wished she didn't. "Mr. Stark, I am well aware of the extracurricular activities that occur in your bed on and almost daily basis and there is absolutely no way I want any bodily fluids anywhere near me."

"Mmmm. Say bodily fluids again, Potts. It's kinda hot." It took him several seconds for his brain to process the rest of the information she had given him. She could tell when he picked up on what she was saying because he leaned forward. "Wait, you are staying with me? In my bed? I need to get beat up more often if that's all it takes."

Pepper stopped what she was doing to glare at him. This man was absolutely infuriating and yet she cared for him so much. Maybe why she got pissed at him so easily was because she cared. Too much. "I need to watch over you. You have a concussion. I want to make sure you are okay so I won't be leaving you alone tonight." Pepper finished putting new pillow cases on his pillows and noticed he was on the verge of saying something else, likely something stupid so she raised a finger to silence him. "Let me lay down the rules. One: I will not be getting between the sheets with you. I will sleep on top of the comforter and you will sleep underneath it. Two: all clothing will stay on."

Tony stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. The swelling only made him look more pathetic if that was even possible. "But Potts, I like sleeping in the buff, and it's not like you haven't seen me naked before."

While that was true, Pepper really did not want to think about Tony naked and she definitely did not want him naked in that close of proximity to her. "Clothes _on_. You need to warm up anyway. Three: hands to yourself." With that, Pepper finished making the bed and motioned for Tony to get in. "You first, Mr. Stark."

Tony climbed into his bed, taking his place on the far side of it. Pepper placed a glass of ice water in his hand and two small pills. "Take your Tylenol, Tony." He did as she asked before settling in and turning his full attention to her. All of the playfulness had left his face as he looked to her expectantly.

She grabbed the ice pack that Happy had gotten from downstairs and pressed it to Tony's black eye. "Keep this on for a bit to try and reduce the swelling." Once again there was no argument from Tony. No snarky comment. No banter. It wasn't often that he did what she asked without his usual sass but this was one of those rare times and it made her feel all kinds of different things. Things that she didn't want to feel.

There was a throw on the chair on one side of the room that she took for herself. As she settled in next to Tony, she thought she would be weirded out by sleeping in the same bed as him but strangely she wasn't. Sleeping next to a world renowned playboy, she actually felt...safe. "Jarvis, lights off," she commanded and then there they were, together in the dark. Tony was on his side facing away from her, ice pack pressed to his eye while she stayed on her back, staring at the ceiling. They laid next to each other in silence for a few minutes before Tony turned toward her and spoke.

"Pep?"

"Yes, Tony?"

"Thank you for putting up with me."

His words made her inhale sharply. That was definitely not what she had been expecting him to say. Pepper could hear the sincerity in his voice and it made a lump form in her throat. _Oh, Tony. I don't just put up with you. For some reason, I really care about your reckless ass._ She knew for a fact he was full of self-loathing. She knew for a fact he didn't believe he was worthy of being loved and she hated he felt that way about himself.

"I mean it, Pep. I don't know what I would do without you. You aren't-you aren't going to quit are you? Not that I would blame you of course, but I hope you stay."

"No. Of course not. I'm not going to quit. After all, I hate job hunting." Pepper hoped he could pick up the unsaid implication of her words, that she wanted to stay.

"Good. That's good. Night."

"Goodnight, Tony." Even though she was extremely tired herself, she forced her heavy lids to remain open as she watched over Tony. The moon seemed to be extra bright this specific night, basking them both in a pale glow. It wasn't too long before the arm holding the ice-pack to his injured eye fell limply to his side. He was finally asleep. Pepper let out a deep breath as she turned her entire body toward him. He may have been sleeping but he was not sleeping peacefully. His entire body was full of tension. There was a frown etched into his expression.

"Oh Tony," she whispered as she tried to gently rub the deep furrow out from between his brows out with her thumb. "Why do you do things like this to yourself? You deserve so much better." Her hands seemed to be moving all on their own as she brushed his thick hair away from his bruised forehead. When he snuffed and tried to press into her hand, she yanked it away as if she had touched an open flame, scooting as far away from him as she possibly could without falling off of the bed. My God. What was she doing? She had never touched Tony like before. Not that she didn't want to but because she couldn't. She couldn't because she loved her job. She couldn't because she didn't want to be another one of his girls. She knew for a fact that her heart wouldn't be able to handle him breaking it.

For several long minutes, she clutched the blanket tightly, ass practically hanging off the mattress as she focused on getting her heavy breathing under control. She needed to put more space between herself and Tony. That was the only solution. Tony would be fine. He always was. She should just get up and go sleep in another room. She could set an alarm to check on him every thirty minutes. Although she was sure Jarvis would alert her if anything went wrong. Yes. That was a much better solution. A much safer one. And just as she began to sit up to carry out her plan, she heard Tony let out a pained whine and it froze her in place. The line between his brows deepened and his bottom lip quivered as he curled into himself, locked in a nightmare. Heart breaking into pieces, Pepper reached out to him but just before her hand touched his shoulder, her brain began to scream at her. _No, Virginia. No. Get up. Get up now and leave. Leave now while you can._ Her finger hovered inches from his trembling body, her heart in a deep-seated argument with her mind. He was her boss. But he was also her best friend. Was he her friend? What the hell was he to her? They definitely did not have the typical boss/employee relationship.

His next broken whimper broke her. Without thinking about the consequences of her actions, she slid her arms around Tony's quivering form, pulling him flush against her body. Without any hesitation on his part, he came to her, shoving his nose into her neck as his own strong arms wrapped around her. This was so far over the line she had drawn in the sand about her and Tony's professional relationship but at the moment, she couldn't bring herself to care. Not when Tony was whimpering like a frightened child. She knew he would never take advantage of her...that she was safe in his arms. She trusted him more than anyone else, and as his tensed muscles began to relax, she realized just how much he must trust her.

"Pepper." Tony let out a shuddering sigh as he finally relaxed into her arms. "What about rule number three?"

Pepper chuckled softly, tightening her grip around him. "Don't get used to this special treatment, Stark. This is a once in a lifetime happening." She could feel him smile against her skin. "Now go to sleep."

He did and she soon followed, breathing in his familiar and comforting scent.


End file.
